TOPPENISH, Wash.-Multiple law enforcement agencies at the local and Tribal level responded to a deadly shooting in Toppenish on the morning of October 19.
The shooting is being investigated as a homicide, which means Tribal Police, local law enforcement and the FBI could be involved and the release of information may be slow.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics crimes in Indian Country may lie with Federal, state or Tribal agencies, depending on the offense, the offender, the victim and the location.
Public law 83-280 established criminal justice responsibilities among Indian Tribes with Tribal lands, the states and the federal government and was mandatory or optional for most Tribes in America.
The Yakama Nation reasserted its authority on Tribal land through retrocession of law 83-280 in 2016.
Tribal law enforcement agencies provide many public services on reservation lands across the country, including the Yakama Nation.
Tribal law enforcement may investigate crimes, enforce traffic laws, execute arrest warrants, serve process, provide court security, and conduct search and rescue operations according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Local law enforcement agencies, such as police and sheriff’s offices, as well as the FBI, may contribute to crime investigations on Indian lands.
The FBI has special jurisdiction to investigate crimes on Indian lands under the General Crimes Act and the Major Crimes Act.
Working in collaboration with Tribal Police and other law enforcement agencies, the FBI investigates and enforces laws related to major crimes, such as homicides on Indian land.
According to the FBI, in order for the agency to investigate a crime on Tribal land three conditions must be met. The crime must have been an act for which the FBI has jurisdiction, the crime has to have been committed on a reservation where the FBI has jurisdiction and the subject, victim or both must be American Indian or Alaska Native.
